Yes, I know banh mis are so early 2009, and yes, I know everyone knows about Banh Mi Saigon, the small Vietnamese sandwich shop in the back of a jewelry store on Mott Street, but I recently made an invaluable discovery. For the longest time, although I love the Pork Banh Mi ($3.75) at Banh Mi Saigon, I missed the pâté the other famous Vietnamese shop in Alphabet City has in their pork sandwiches. (As I mentioned in a previous post, I actually prefer the Alphabet City store, but for some weird reason I got food poisoning once, and now I go almost exclusively to Banh Mi Saigon.) So on a recent trip to Banh Mi Saigon, I asked if there was a way I could get some pâté in the Pork Banh Mi, and of course, it was just a matter of asking. For one dollar extra ($4.75 total), the wonderful people at Banh Mi Saigon will spread a very generous layer of creamy pâté, even possibly too much, into an already overstuffed sandwich of roast barbecued pork, Vietnamese bologna, fresh cucumber sticks, cilantro, jalapeno slices, pickled daikon, and pickled carrots. One bite and you’ll be serious umami heaven. Now if only I could get them to add some Vietnamese headcheese (giò thủ), life would be closer to perfect.

The same day I made the “pâté discovery,” I also stopped by Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich at the request of my brother. It was a crazy day of banh mi shop hopping, after which I went bodega hopping because my little nephew, Adam, requested Sour Patch Kids. So with two pork Vietnamese sandwiches in tow to New Jersey, it was a perfect opportunity to do another Bite vs. Bite.

The Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich House Special ($3.95, pictured left) is more compact, has less pickled daikon, and although has a slice of Vietnamese salami (thit nguội) which the Pork Banh Mi from Banh Mi Saigon (pictured right) does not, it still doesn’t make up for the less flavorful barbecue pork. It’s still an explosion of flavors (sweet, salty, tangy, spicy, and savory), but compared to Banh Mi Saigon, Saigon Vietnamese is just firecrackers whereas Banh Mi Saigon’s Vietnamese sandwich is Fourth of July fireworks in your mouth.

However, my brother still prefers to eat the sandwiches from Saigon Vietnamese because he’s convinced Banh Mi Saigon uses more MSG. According to him, he “can’t trust something so delicious.” Me, maybe I’m a little naive, but I can’t believe something so delicious could be so bad for you. But then again, I have pâté on the brain.

Banh Mi Saigon
138 Mott Street (betw Grand St & Hester St; map)
New York, NY 10013

Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich
369 Broome Street (betw Mott St & Elizabeth St; map)
New York, NY 10013

• Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich) at Pho So 1 – NYC
• Cheapo Lunch at Lunch Box Buffet – NYC
• “Expen$ive” Banh Mis at Baoguette – NYC

Spicy Pork Jerky from Malaysia Beef Jerky

In the summer I get antsy. It’s hard to sit in a restaurant for too long when it’s gorgeous out, especially this year in New York when the number of sunny days are eclipsed by rainy ones. I want to be outside and feel the sun on my face. As a result, I find myself grabbing quick eats best enjoyed sitting on a park bench or lounging in the grass; a bagel here, some Mexican corn there, and when the carnivore in me demands it, jerky from Malaysia Beef Jerky.

At Malaysia Beef Jerky, squares of meat (chicken, beef, or pork) are marinated, slow-cooked in an oven, and grilled to achieve sweet smokey red sheets of portable sustenance, caramelized at the edges. Malaysian jerky is softer than the leathery American kind, which by the way I love also. I would say the texture is somewhere between American jerky and thick-cut ham; it’s that soft. The store also sells more free-form jerky that aren’t perfect squares and are a tad chewier, called “sliced jerky,” but I always get the squares. Spicy Pork Jerky ($4.25 a 1/4 LB, or around $1 per piece) is my favorite. It’s not too spicy, but you get a little bit of heat if you keep eating it. The regular beef and chicken jerky ($4.50 a 1/4 LB, or around $1 per piece) are tasty also, but I find the pork more tender and more flavorful. I hear the squares are good for sandwiches, but why bother when they’re delicious right out of the wax paper sleeve? No bread or condiments needed thank you very much.

After the jerky, if I need a little fruit, a block or two further south in Chinatown, there are numerous street stands selling white peaches, lychees, and longans. This time of the year though, jackfruit is in season. Jackfruit looks somewhat like durian, but less spikey on the outside, firmer and more fibrous in texture on the inside, and definitely not as odiferous. The taste of jackfruit is a cross between pineapple and banana, whereas durian is a flavor amalgamation of onion, garlic, and tropical fruit. Walking along Canal between Mulberry and Mott Street, several fruit stands sell whole jackfruit either by the pound or in small plastic containers with just the pods for $4. The containers of jackfruit are perfect for on-the-run snacking, and also good for those with new fruit commitment issues. Which is OK, summer was made for flings, including the edible kind.

Malaysia Beef Jerky
95A Elizabeth Street (betw Grand and Hester St, but closer to Grand)
New York, NY 10013

Fruit Stands with Jackfruit
Canal Street (betw Mulberry and Mott St)
New York, NY 10013

• More Noodling at Sheng Wang – NYC
• Jalebis at Curry in a Hurry & 3 Buck Bites – NYC
• The Most Awesome Pineapple Bun in Chinatown…and Some Meat – NYC